


Triple Whammy

by fleurlb



Category: ER (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-02 01:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4040803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurlb/pseuds/fleurlb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haleh helps out on a difficult case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Triple Whammy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ruuger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruuger/gifts).



> Thanks for the opportunity to write about one of my favourite characters. I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV, so any mistakes are my own, although I did consult Dr. Google.

Haleh looked at the clock and tried not to think anything that might jinx the evening. She was four hours into a double-shift on a night that was a triple whammy: Friday the 13th, full moon, and lunar eclipse. Jerry was cackling incessantly about the blood moon, and Haleh was ready to tape his mouth shut. They'd already seen 15 of their frequent fliers, a guy who thought he was a werewolf, and the non-responsive kid.

“Can someone tell me why we've got what looks like the world's saddest high school dance in the staff room right now?” asked Abby, slipping on her white coat and draping her stethoscope around her neck.

“Some kids had to bring in their friend after he had what looked like a seizure and then went nonresponsive on the way to their homecoming dance,” said Haleh with a sigh. Kids and teenagers always got through her defensive mechanisms. It was all to easy to imagine one of her own on a stretcher.

Abby grimaced and let out a low whistle. “That seriously sucks.”

Haleh nodded and then answered the phone, its short ring telling her it was one of the trauma rooms.

“Haleh, he's still nonresponsive. I've drawn blood for a tox screen but the results might be too late. I tried talking to the kids, but they gave me nothing. Maybe you'll have better luck.” Carter's words were more statement than question or request.

“Sure thing.” Haleh set the receiver down and headed back to the staff room. The kids were huddled around the couch, centering their attentions on crying a teenaged girl. Haleh guessed she was the girlfriend.

“Honey, can you come with me a second?” 

“Oh my god. Is Alex awake?” The girl jumped up and followed her out of the room. Haleh closed the door with a sharp look at the rest of the teenagers and they didn't try to follow them out.

“No, honey, I'm afraid he's still out. It would really help us if you could tell us what he took.”

The girl blinked, all wide-eyed innocence. “He didn't take anything. None of us did.”

“Sweetie, he's got all the symptoms of an Ecstasy overdose. If you can tell us what it was, or better yet, give us whatever you still have left over, we can help him.”

The girl drew herself up to her full five-foot-nothing stature and squared her shoulders. “Lady, I'm telling you, he didn't take a damn thing. Alex isn't like that. None of us are. We're straight-edge. We don't even drink.”

Haleh put her hand on the girl's arm, a conciliatory gesture, and struggled to strike the right tone. “Okay, I'm gonna take you at your word. So help us by telling us what all you did this evening. You were out at dinner.”

“Yes, at the Flattop grill. Alex had edamame and a quesadilla. He's a vegetarian.”

“Is he allergic to peanuts or anything?”

The girl shook her head and wiped away tears.

“Anything happen out of the ordinary? I have two teenage boys and they're always getting into some kind of nonsense. Did he do any tricks? Hit his head somehow.”

The girl started to shake her head, but then stopped, her eyes widening. “I don't know, it's probably stupid...”

“Ain't nothing too stupid or too small at a time like this. You just get it all out and let us decide what's relevant.” Haleh rubbed the girl's arm and then gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“After dinner, the boys were messing around with the condiments on the table. Craig mixed up some disgusting concoction that was heavy on the sriracha sauce. Tyler drank it and then ran to the men's room and puked. Then a couple of the guys bet Alex that he couldn't drink two bottles of soy sauce. Alex drank four just to get an extra $20 bucks off them. But that's just like drinking water, right?”

Haleh shook her head. “It's full of sodium. That much sodium can't be healthy. About how big was the bottle?”

The girl shrugged. “I don't know. It was one of those pretty ones, in the triangle-ish shape with the red tops?”

“Okay, sweetie, I've got to get this information to the doctor. You did a really good job.”

She rushed back to Trauma 1 and told Carter, whose first instinct was to laugh. 

“You're not laughing,” he said slowly.

“No, I'm not. You ever look at one of those packets of soy sauce down in the cafeteria?”

Carter shook his head. 

“One of those itty-bitty things has 21% of your RDA for sodium. Now how many of those itty-bitty packets do you think it takes to make one of those restaurant bottles?” 

“Too much sodium could definitely put the electrolytes out of balance and result in hyponatremia.” He clasped his hands on Haleh's upper arms and squeezed. “Thank you!”

Haleh went back to cover the desk, but on her way, she had a quiet word with Malik about getting a favor from his friend in food services. She smiled when she thought about the look on Carter's face when 4000 packets of soy sauce poured out his locker when his shift was over. She truly hoped that she survived this crazy-ass shift to see the results of her handiwork.


End file.
